By: Mercede Odegaard, USD Sports Information
First Serve
South Dakota returns to Vermillion to host South Dakota State at 7 p.m. Friday. The matchup marks the second time the rivals have met this season after the Coyotes defeated the Jackrabbits 3-2 earlier this season in Brookings. South Dakota continues to sit atop the league at 9-1. South Dakota State is coming into the matchup on a four-game skid, resting at sixth in the league at 4-6.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (20-2) has won seven in a row since a 3-2 loss at North Dakota State back on Sept. 27. The Coyotes return to Vermillion after taking down both Denver and Omaha on the road last week. Junior all-American outside hitter
Elizabeth Juhnke continues to lead the nation in kills and kills per set. Junior middle blocker
Madison Harms led the Coyotes to a 3-2 reverse sweep of Denver last week with a career-high 13 blocks. Senior
Aimee Adams totaled seven kills with no errors to hit .368 as the Coyotes snapped Omaha's eight-game winning streak last week.
Fifth-year defensive specialist
Lolo Weideman continues to lead the Summit in digs per set and junior
Brooklyn Schram is second in assists. In addition to boasting one of the top hitting percentages in the league, the Coyotes are second in blocks and are holding foes to a .177 hitting percentage.
The Jackrabbits
South Dakota State (10-12) also faced off against Denver and Omaha last week but finished the weekend 0-2. The Jackrabbits have four Summit wins on the season, including a 3-2 win over defending regular season champion Omaha on Sept. 24. South Dakota State has yet to meet second-place North Dakota State.
Fifth-year senior Crystal Burk remains one of the top hitters in the league. Her 4.24 kills per set are second-best to Juhnke's nation-leading 5.36 kills per set. South Dakota State stole a set from Omaha last week behind Burk's match-high 20 kills. Senior Anna Nerad had a solid night for the Jackrabbits with eight kills and just one error to hit .438 while adding a career-high six blocks.
Denver held South Dakota State's leading hitter to just nine kills on Saturday, the first time Burk has had less than 10 kills in a match this season. Raegen Reilly, a sophomore transfer from NDSU, sits at fourth in the league in assists and fourth on the Jacks' single season chart with 859.
The Series
South Dakota has won the last 15 matchups against South Dakota State. The last two duals have required a fifth set, including a 3-2 win for the Coyotes last year in a Summit League semifinal matchup. USD is 23-2 against SDSU in the Division I era. The Jackrabbits have never beaten the Coyotes in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (6-0).
Record Breaking Play for the Coyotes
- Juhnke recorded a league record 39 kills in South Dakota's five-set match against NDSU on Sept. 27. The 39 kills set a USD program record and set the mark for most kills in a match in the NCAA this season.
- Juhnke also set a USD three-set program record with 24 kills in South Dakota's 3-0 sweep of Oral Roberts on Oct. 13.
- Weideman hit a career-mark in the Sept. 24 Denver match, totaling 34 digs and matching the four-set program record.
- Harms recorded a career-high 13 blocks in USD's 3-2 win over Denver on Oct. 20, which ties for second in the five-set program record.
Up Next
The Coyotes head to North Dakota to face the Fighting Hawks on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
